Dave Olson

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FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — Fire officials say a stove burner that was inadvertently turned on caused a blaze that tore through the roof of a mobile home here. The Fergus Falls Fire Department was dispatched about 12:35 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, to a residential fire at 1608 Otter Tail County Highway 111, Lot 51, in Lake View Estates. When firefighters arrived, flames were coming through the roof of the home, and everyone was out of the home, the fire department said.

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – The bodies of two recently divorced attorneys were discovered in an apartment here late Wednesday, Dec. 6, following what authorities say was a homicide and a suicide. A preliminary investigation shows Ryan Christopher Cheshire, an Otter Tail County prosecutor, fatally shot attorney Sarah Ruth Cheshire and then fatally shot himself, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The two were both 41 years old and were living in separate Fergus Falls residences, the bureau said.

MAHNOMEN, Minn. – The body of a 33-year-old Naytahwaush man whose truck reportedly became stuck on a rural Mahnomen County trail on Sunday, Nov. 5, was found about a mile from the truck Monday afternoon, Nov. 6. According to a report from Mahnomen County Sheriff Doug Krier: The sheriff’s office received a report about 9:30 a.m. Monday that Corey Bush was missing.

MOORHEAD – A Dilworth man who was earlier found guilty by a jury of assaulting a physically and mentally disabled woman was sentenced Friday, Nov. 3, to 12 years in prison. With good behavior, Gerald K. Ackerson, 50, could be released after serving eight years, with the remainder of his sentenced served on supervised release. He was found guilty in July of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

FARGO – A jury has found Dan Durr, CEO and president of Fargo-based Don’s Car Washes, guilty of hiring an individual to engage in sexual activity, a Class B misdemeanor. Durr’s defense attorney, Cash Aaland, hailed the decision Thursday, Nov. 2, as a vindication of his client, who had faced a felony charge of patronizing a minor for commercial sexual activity after his arrest last spring during a sting operation called Operation Guardian Angel.

FARGO – A man convicted of sexually assaulting a Mapleton, N.D., convenience store clerk was sentenced in Cass County District Court on Wednesday, Oct. 18, to 26 years in prison followed by lifetime supervision. Speaking through an interpreter, 37-year-old Abdulrahman Ali told Judge Tom Olson that he was mentally ill at the time of the crime.

FARGO – A teenager who died in a North Dakota State University residence hall last month died of natural causes, according to the findings of an autopsy. Devin Delaney, 17, died from a malfunctioning beating of his heart that was likely brought on by a viral infection, said Darin Haverland, deputy coroner with the Cass County Coroner’s Office.

WHITE EARTH, Minn. – The White Earth Nation is alerting residents to a flurry of drug overdoses in the last day or so that have claimed at least one life, according to a notice posted Friday, Oct. 13, on the nation’s Facebook page. The White Earth Drug Task Force has made community officials aware that four people on the White Earth Reservation suffered overdoses, with the individuals experiencing respiratory failure or falling into a coma. One death was reported.

WISHEK, N.D. – A student caused a stir at Wishek Elementary School this week by displaying a gun that police described as a non-functioning starter pistol. Wishek Police Chief Andrew Tunheim said he didn’t know many details about the incident other than to say it was his understanding that a teacher saw a student with the gun on Monday, Oct. 9.

MOORHEAD – A former Moorhead man who was charged earlier this year with three felony counts of mistreating or torturing animals in connection with the death of three cats pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to one of the charges. Jalan Isaac Greer, 24, of Rapid City, S.D., entered what’s known as an Alford plea, meaning he did not take responsibility but agreed a jury might find him guilty based on the evidence.